Let's open our Bibles today to
the book of 2 Timothy. There's a passage of scripture
in chapter 1 of the book of 2 Timothy, verse 12, that I want to share
with you. And my message will be on this
subject, I know whom I have believed. I know whom I have believed. Now, Paul says in verse 12, and
we'll just use this as a text, I plan to go up and pick up at
verse 8 in a moment. So you open your Bible to 2 Timothy,
chapter 1. In verse 12, Paul said, and this
is the text, for the which cause I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I'm not ashamed. I'm not ashamed. I suffer these
things, but I'm not ashamed. For I know whom I have believed
and am persuaded that he's able to keep that which I've committed
unto him against that day." Now, the Apostle Paul was confined
to prison. He was awaiting execution. He
knew that. He knew that he would be slain.
He was already in jail. He was chained with fetters and
bonds, all for preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And in this passage of Scripture,
he's writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and it's
for us today. But under the inspiration of
the Holy Spirit, he's writing to a young preacher called Timothy. And in verse 8, he says, Timothy,
do not be ashamed. Do not be ashamed of the testimony
of our Lord. This glorious Apostle Paul said,
I have not shown to declare unto you the whole counsel of God.
I've kept back nothing profitable unto you. Whatever God's taught
me, I've preached to you. Because I know woe is unto me
if I preach not the gospel. But my dear friend, I wish I
could tell you the number of times I've heard preachers say
this, or I know that's in the Bible, but I can't preach it. My church would fire me. One
preacher said one time, I have a wife and five children to support. I cannot teach all that the Bible
teaches. My deacons, Sunday school teachers,
Ladies in the church just wouldn't receive that preaching. They
wouldn't receive that doctrine. So I just don't preach it. My
friends, I'm telling you, that's a tragic, terrible situation
in which to be. Pleasing men instead of pleasing
God Almighty. One preacher said this just recently,
who's president of a school and pastor of a large Baptist church,
I believe those things Sovereignty, elective grace, particular redemption,
the invincible call of the Holy Spirit, the security of the believer,
the perseverance of the saint. I believe those truths. That's
the truth of God's Word. But if I preached it, my church
would fire me tomorrow. Well, the Apostle Paul says to
young Timothy, young man, don't you ever be ashamed of the testimony
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever it costs you, whatever
you have to pay, whatever men do to you. I'm suffering these
things. I'm in prison right now, not
for being an unruly person, not for disturbing the peace, not
for stealing anything. I'm here for preaching the truth
of God as it is in God's Word. I'm here for telling men the
truth about themselves and the truth about God and the truth
about salvation. Woe is unto me if I do not tell
them the truth. The Apostle said in the last
days, Men shall be lovers of themselves more than lovers of
God. They'll heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.
They'll depart from the truth. But don't you," he said, Timothy,
don't you, be ashamed of the testimony of the gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ. And he goes on in that verse
and says, don't be ashamed of me. Don't be ashamed of me, his
prisoner. Don't be ashamed of those who
preach the gospel of grace. Don't shun these men. Don't separate
yourselves from their company. Stand by them. Stand by them. Be one with them. Be identified
with those who preach the truth of God's grace. Don't be ashamed
of them. And he goes on and says, you be ready yourself to suffer
affliction and persecution for preaching the gospel. Don't be
ashamed of it. And don't be ashamed of those
who preach it. And you be ready yourself because they that would
live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. That's what
the scripture says. Our Lord said, In this world
you shall have tribulation. Our Lord said, Marvel not, my
brethren, if the world hate you. It hated me before it hated you. If they love me, they'll love
you. If they hated me, they'll hate you. And they didn't hate
our Lord because he did many wonderful works. They didn't
hate our Lord because he fed the hungry and healed the sick
and raised the dead. They hated him because of what
he preached, his doctrine. There was a division because
of what he said. And the division will be caused
by what we preach. we preach the truth of the Word
of God. Well, in verse 9, Paul goes on and says, He saved us. He saved us. We didn't save ourselves. Those people to whom you preached
didn't save you, and you didn't save them, and they didn't save
each other. He saved us. He called us, listen,
with a holy calling. The apostle Paul said, God, who
separated me from my mother's womb and called me by His grace,
was pleased to reveal His Son in me. We didn't save one another. The preacher didn't save you.
You can't save those people. God has to save them, and God
will only save them through his word. He'll only save them through
his gospel, the gospel, not a gospel, some gospel, or your gospel,
but the gospel of his glory, the gospel of his grace. He saved
us. He called us in an invincible
way by his mighty spirit through his word, not according to our
work, You didn't earn your position in the kingdom of God. You didn't
earn your sonship. You didn't earn your righteousness,
not by works of righteousness which we've done, according to
his mercy he had saved us. It's a holy calling, not according
to our works. Watch this next line. But according
to his purpose and grace which was given to us in Jesus Christ
before the world began. You see, known unto God are all
his works from the beginning. Those whom he purposed to save,
he saves. Those whom he purposed to call,
he calls. Those whom he purposed to redeem,
he redeems. He says, I'll be merciful to
whom I will. I'll be gracious to whom I will. God doesn't owe
us anything. Everything we have is by his
mercy, and that's eternal mercy. Everything we have is by his
grace, and that's sovereign grace. Everything we have is according
to God's purpose, and that's an eternal purpose. Let me read
it to you again in case you missed it. The Apostle Paul said to
young Timothy, don't be ashamed of the gospel. Don't be ashamed
of the gospel. Don't be ashamed of those who
preach it. Don't be ashamed of those who preach it. You'd be
ready to suffer affliction and persecution for the sake of the
gospel. For he saved us. He saved us. He called us with a holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to his purpose. We're
the called according to his purpose. You know, everybody quotes Romans
8, 28. Not many people quote it right, but everybody quotes
it. And we know that all things work together for good to them
who love God. That's where most people stop,
but it goes on and says, to them who are the called according
to his purpose. God worketh all things after
the purpose or counsel of his own will. He called us with a
holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his
own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ. Christ
not separate and apart from Christ Everything we have is in Christ
every good gift and perfect gift is from God in Christ And he
gave it to us in Christ before the world began And he asked
you three questions The first question is this did you choose
God or did he choose you now be honest? What does the scripture
say? Chosen in Christ before the foundation
of the world he chose us Christ said to his disciples. You didn't
choose me I chose you You will not come to me that you might
have like men love darkness rather than light because their deeds
are evil God chose us God chose us it says I thank God for you
brethren beloved of the Lord because God has from the beginning
Chosen you to salvation God chose us. That's the truth. That's
what the Bible says Let me ask you the second question When
did God choose you? Well, every scripture tells us
he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.
That's when God's purpose was proclaimed. That's when God's
counsel was determined. That's when God's covenant was
formed before the foundation of the world. Christ was the
Lamb slain on Calvary, yes. In the types and pictures, yes.
In the mind of God, yes. Before the foundation of the
world, yes also. Why did God choose you? Those
are three good questions, aren't they? Did you choose God or did
he choose you? Well, you have to say, he chose
me. I say, when? Well, preacher,
he chose me before the foundation of the world. Well, why? According
to the good pleasure of his own will. According to his purpose
and grace which was given to me in Christ before the world
began. All that God does in time, he
purposed to do eternally. That's right. Everything God
does in time, God has purposed to do in eternity. Now look at
verse 10. And Paul says in verse 10, this
purpose and grace which was given us in Christ before the world
began, this purpose and grace, this calling, this salvation,
is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ. In
other words, what God purposed, Christ fulfilled in time. What
God Almighty promised, Christ accomplished. What God Almighty
decreed, Christ completed. This is what Paul is saying.
Now, don't be ashamed of this testimony, Timothy. Don't be
ashamed of me. You get ready to pay. You get
ready to suffer if you preach this message, because he saved
us, and he called us with a holy calling, not according to our
works, not according to our deeds, not according to our good nature
and so forth, but according to his own purpose and grace, which
was given to us in Jesus Christ before the world began, but is
manifest, is revealed to us by the appearing of Our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ. Christ abolished death and has
brought life and immortality to light to understanding through
the gospel. Everything that God purposed,
Christ fulfilled. Everything that God promised,
Christ accomplished in time. God purposed it in eternity.
Christ accomplished it in time. That's what Paul is saying in
Galatians 1.15. He said, God who separated me from my mother's
womb was pleased to call me by his grace. God's purpose and
counsel took place before the world began. He said, Saul of
Tarsus belongs to me. I set him apart for holy purpose.
I set him apart to be my son. I set him apart to be a chosen
vessel. I set him apart to bear the gospel to the Gentiles. But
in time, the gospel was manifested to Saul of Tarsus, and he came
to believe on Christ. Listen to this scripture in 1
John 5, verse 20. And we know that the Son of God
hath come. and have given us an understanding,
that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that
is true, even in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God.
This is eternal life. This gospel, this purpose, this
grace, this mercy, which God ordained before the world began
to be enjoyed by the sons of men, this gospel, this purpose,
this grace, which God purposed from all eternity, was accomplished,
was fulfilled, was manifested, was made for us by the appearance
of our Lord right here on this earth, was accomplished for us.
And God had given that understanding in him. Now, verse 11, Paul says,
whereunto I am appointed a preacher. In other words, God ordained
me to be a preacher of this message. God didn't call me to be a cheerleader,
to jump up and down, walk the pews, and throw songbooks, and
climb the walls, and lead people in whoop-de-doo services. God
didn't call me to be a cheerleader. He called me to be a preacher.
God didn't call me to be a promoter. to promote programs and to promote
denominations and to promote great successful moves and organizations. God didn't call me to be a politician
to clean up the government, to clean up the world. God didn't
call me to be an executive or a toastmaster or an after-dinner
speaker. Paul says, I'm appointed a preacher,
a preacher. God ordained me to be a preacher,
and this is my message. Woe is unto me if I preach not
this message. God deliver me, God have mercy
on my soul if I preach not this message. Salvation is of the
Lord. Salvation is in Jesus Christ
the Lord. And this then is the message
we have of him and declare we unto you. This is our message.
Don't be ashamed of it. Don't be ashamed of those who
preached it. Be ready yourself to bear the afflictions that
come upon you as a result of preaching it. And this is that
glorious message that God Almighty ordained redemption for some
and revealed that redemption in the purpose of His Son. Paul
said, I'm not ashamed. I suffer persecution. Because
of this message, I'm in prison. Because of this message, fetters
hang on my arm. Because of this message, they've
already sentenced me to die. Because of this message, I'll
shed my blood. But I am not ashamed. I'm not
ashamed of the gospel. I'm not ashamed to declare his
grace. I'm not ashamed to be identified with a crucified Lord.
And I'm not ashamed of the afflictions that come upon me as a result
of preaching that message and believing it. And then he tells
us why. This is our text. For I know,
I know whom I have believed. I know him. I know him. I hadn't just read about him.
I know him. I hadn't just heard about him. I know him. He's not
just a fire escape or a doormat named Jesus. I know him. I know
whom I have believed. And I'm persuaded that he's able
to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. Makes
it all worthwhile. Makes it, in fact, pleasing.
It makes it very gratifying because I know him. Now, this text is
taken up with three things. Now, watch this. First of all,
a person whom Paul knew. That's clear. You say, I know
whom I have believed. I'm persuaded he is able to keep
that which I've committed to him. So this thing is taken up
with a person whom Paul knew. Secondly, it's taken up with
a confidence that Paul had in this person whom he knew. He
had a confidence in him, total confidence, willing to die for
his glory. And then it's taken up with a
committal that Paul had made to this person. You with me? Paul says, I know whom. A person
Paul knew. I'm persuaded. I'm confident.
He's able to keep that which I've committed. I've made a committal
to this person. Let's go back and look at the
person whom Paul knew. I know whom I had believed. And notice
he didn't say, I know what I believe. A lot of folks love to argue
about what they believe. What they believe. They just
believe it for a little while anyway, so there's no use wasting
time arguing with them. They'll change their belief in
a little while. Or other people say, well, I know when I believed.
I can tell you when I was saved or when God did this and when
I did that. Well, Paul didn't say, I know
what or I know when. He said, I know whom. Whom. I know whom. Everything in Paul's
confession centers around a person. Everything in Paul's faith centers
around a person. I know whom. I know whom. And he didn't say, I know in
whom. I have believed." One old man
said, don't even let a preposition come between you and the Lord.
I know whom I have believed. Now, some people know a lot about
doctrine. We're in a day when people know
a lot about doctrine. They know a lot about what their
denomination believes, and they know a lot about doctrine. But
I tell you this, doctrine is fine if it relates to Christ. The Bible talks about the doctrine
of Christ, and doctrine is fine if it relates to Christ. But
doctrine is dry, dead, cold, killing, letter of the law, if
it doesn't relate to Christ. I may know all the fundamentals
of religion and miss Christ. The Pharisees did. The Sadducees
did. Saul of Tarsus had missed Christ.
And yet he knew all the orthodoxy and the fundamental doctrines
of the scriptures. He was a student of the scriptures. So a lot of people talk about
doctrine who don't know Christ. And then a lot of people know
a lot about experience. They even sneer at doctrine.
They make fun of doctrine. I wouldn't discredit a man's
experience, but my friend, listen to me, salvation is not an experience,
it's a person. And you can have an experience
without knowing that person, Jesus Christ the Lord. So don't
put your stock and your confidence in an experience, especially
an old experience that stays old. You see, every day with
Christ is a new experience. Every day with Christ is a precious
experience. And a lot of people know a lot
about the Bible. I hear them say, well, I know my Bible. And
then they can name the books of the Bible. And they can name
the writers of the Bible. And they can name the kingdoms
of the Bible. And they can name the times and the seasons. And
they know all these things. But every time I think of that,
I think of what Christ said to the Pharisees, these Bible scholars,
these fellows that knew memorized scripture and knew all the dates
and times and kingdoms and writers and all of these things. He said,
You are busy searching the Scriptures, for in them you think you have
life, but they are they which testify of me, and you will not
come to me that you might have life. I know you. You have not
the love of God in you. That's what he said to them.
I wouldn't discredit Bible study and Bible knowledge and the memorization
of Scripture. Don't you miss Christ, though?
Salvation is still a person, it's not a book. The philosopher
says, know thyself and to thyself be true. The scripture says,
know Christ and to Christ be true. The theologian says, know
the truth, preach the truth, study the truth. Scriptures say,
Christ is the truth. Doctrine takes us nowhere if
it doesn't take us to Christ. And I mean to sit at his feet,
not as a know-it-all, but with Mary as a humble child. Experience
is emotionalism unless we experience Christ. That's so. Knowledge
is vain. He that increases knowledge increases
sorrow if we do not know him. Whom to know is life eternal.
The Bible will serve only to condemn us if it does not convert
us and bring us to Jesus Christ. Remember Paul said, I know whom
I have believed, a blessed person, a blessed person. Now, what's
the second thing? A confidence that Paul had in
that person. He says, I know whom I have believed,
and I'm persuaded. I'm persuaded. I think about
Abraham when I see this word persuaded. Abraham was persuaded,
confident that God was able to perform all that he said. And
Paul was confident that Christ could do all that he promised.
You know, suppose I owed a great debt. I'm talking about a lot
of money. a lot of money, and I couldn't
pay it. I just had a terrible debt, a
terrible debt. And I faced bankruptcy. And a
friend said to me, I'll take care of that for you. I'll take
care of that. Well, now, there are two requirements.
Number one, he must be willing to do it. And secondly, he must
be able. Now, you see that? He can't do
a thing about my debt unless he's willing to do it, unless
he's able to do it. And this is what Paul is saying
about the master here. He's pointing out his willingness
and his ability. Christ is willing to save. He
delights to show mercy. He said, no man takes my life
from me. I lay it down. I have the power to lay it down
and take it up again. No man takes my life from me.
Our Lord is willing to save men. He loved them with an everlasting
love. He loved sinners. God so loved the world, he gave
his only begotten son. Christ didn't come into this
world to get God in a good humor toward men. God was already in
a good humor or Christ wouldn't have come. He's the son of God's
love. He's the gift of God's love.
For God so loved, he gave. Christ didn't come down here
to get God to love men. He came because Christ did love
men. You see that? He loved sinners. He's willingly. He willingly took our nature.
He willingly bore our sins. He willingly went to the cross.
He's willing. But that's not all of it. That's
just half of it. He's able. He's able to save. He's able
to save our souls because, first of all, who he is. An angel can't
save us. A man can't save us. A church
can't save us. The only one who can save sinners
is the God-man. Jesus Christ is the only God-man.
You see that? There's one God and one mediator
between God and me and the man Christ Jesus. One great high
priest. That's Christ. He's able to save us because
of who he is, because of what he did. He died for our sins.
He met the law and obeyed it perfectly. In every jot and tittle,
in the flesh, as a man, was tempted in all points as we are, yet
without sin. That's what he did. And he's
able to save us because of where he is. Where is he? Well, he's
not in some holy place down here on the earth. And he's not sitting
up on some shrine, he's not on the cross, and he's not in a
tomb. Where is Jesus Christ? At the right hand of God. That's
the hand of power, love, and acceptance. And he's able to
save us because of who he is, what he did, and where he is.
He's able, listen to the scripture, to do all that he promised. He's
able to save to the uttermost them that come to God by him.
He's able to keep us from falling. He's able to present us whole
and without blame before him in love. He's able to raise our
vile bodies and make them like unto his glorious body. He's
able. Paul said, I know whom I have
believed. I'm not resting in a doctrine,
denomination, experience. I'm not resting in a law, in
a morality or merit. I'm not resting in works, in
an evangelist or a preacher. I'm not resting in a profession,
experience or a decision. I know whom I have believed. And I'm confident beyond a shadow
of a doubt, I'm persuaded in my soul, heart, and mind that
he is able, he is able to do what? To keep that which I've
committed to him against that day. Knowledge without faith
is vain. Knowledge without faith is vain.
Paul didn't say, I know, I know, I know, only. He said, I know
and I've committed. I've committed it to him. I've
committed all things to him. I've not committed these things
to the church. I've not committed them to the preacher. I've not
committed them to the congregation. I've not committed them to religion.
I've committed them to Christ, my soul, my heart, my eternal
destiny. I've committed my sins, my past,
present, and future. I've committed my home, my family.
I've committed myself. I've committed everything to
him. I've cast it on him. I put it in his hand. I trusted
it in his care. Here I am, Lord, sink or swim,
I go to him." Now, this is what happened back in the Old Testament.
The men of old, they didn't only believe God, but they committed
themselves to God. For example, Abraham. God said,
Abraham, get out of your father's house and go to a land I'll show
you. And the Scripture says, Abraham left not knowing where,
not knowing. He just committed it to God.
He committed himself to God, his family, his future, everything.
God said leave, he left. He believed God. Noah, God said
he'd destroy the world. Noah moved with fear, built an
ark. He didn't just sit down in a
chair and say, well, I believe there's going to be a judgment,
I believe there's going to be a flood. No, he acted on what he said
he believed. He believed God, he built an
ark. See what I'm saying? Moses, Moses believed that Israel
was God's people. Moses believed that God was God.
Moses believed the Egyptians would be defeated. Moses left
Egypt. He counted the reproach of Christ
greater riches than the treasure of Egypt. He walked out. He walked
out. Saul, Saul of Tarsus had his
religion, but he didn't have Christ. But he walked out on
this religion, turned from his idols to the living God. So this
is what he's saying to us. I've committed, preacher, I don't
worry about my family because I've committed them to Christ.
Don't worry about church firing me. I've committed to Christ,
his church, his people. I don't worry about the future.
He holds the future. I've committed it to him. I know
whom I have believed. And I'm persuaded he's able to
keep that which I've committed to him, sink or swim. I cling
to him. Now, this message is on cassette
tape. I know whom I have believed. On the other side is Christ is
all, a message I preached last week. If you want it, write to
me. The cost is $2. Till next week, God bless you, is my prayer. You have just heard a sermon
by Henry Mahan, pastor of the 13th Street Baptist Church of
Ashland, Kentucky. Address all correspondents to
Henry Mahan, Box 1700, Ashland, Kentucky.